Before starting his World Cup at home on September 8 against New Zealand, Fabien Galthié’s men will play the traditional friendly matches. Four matches are on the schedule: twice against Scotland, then against Fiji and Australia. The XV du Chardon, which will evolve in its den of Murrayfield, is the first opponent of the Blues. The meeting will be to follow this Saturday at 4:15 p.m., on TF1, but also live on our Figaro site, with the comments of the sparkling Louis Mouret.
While the Blues will line up an experimental team at Murrayfield with players who will try to win their ticket to the World Cup, Scotland will evolve with all their best elements. In front of his audience, coach Gregor Townsend decided to bring out the heavy artillery with Russell (read below), Watson, R. Gray, Fagerson, Van der Merwe and other Tuipulotu. Record for these Blues without much experience. Especially since Scotland, which rose to fifth place in the world rankings, gave the Bleus de Galthié a hard time, winning twice in the last five clashes in three years.
“We are a month behind the preparation of other nations, especially Scotland. We are preparing to play an international match against the fifth nation in the world. We will see what it will give, ”advances the tricolor coach. Last week, the Scots played and won their first warm-up match against the Italians (25-13). Next week, the Blues – with the very likely return of certain executives – will find the players from the Highlands, who will surely rotate their workforce in Saint-Étienne.
To read also XV of France: who is Louis Bielle-Biarrey, the nugget of Bordeaux-Bègles launched against Scotland?
He had disappeared from the radar for more than two years. His risky raise against Scotland at the end of the 2021 Tournament against Scotland had caused the defeat of the Blues. And the tricolor staff, resentful, had not summoned him in stride. Except that it is difficult today to miss the leading performances of Brice Dulin. Solid under high balls, precious in his kicking game and sure in his raises, the former player of Agen, Castres and Racing 92 has become one of the key men of Stade Rochelais, double European champion. His sidelining ended this summer and, for his return, he will captain the Blues in Edinburgh.
Fabien Galthié justified himself: “The captaincy is anything but a coincidence. He owes it to his perseverance and determination since the beginning of the preparation. He is a leader and he has the necessary maturity to express himself to his teammates. His absence was linked to injuries but also to the current form of Melvyn Jaminet and Thomas Ramos. Unlike his two Toulouse rivals, the rear of the Maritimes does not stumble. But he has the advantage of offering a left foot to the XV of France. A definite asset. Be careful however, being captain of the Blues in preparatory matches does not guarantee being at the World Cup. Pascal Papé, who had inherited the armband during the tour with the All Blacks in the summer of 2007, can testify to this…
Since the beginning of July, the 42 Blues have been subjected to a tough preparation which started in Monaco and continued in Marcoussis. At the beginning of the summer, Émilien Gailleton frankly admitted that he had vomited after one of these hard sessions. A month later, the Blues will finally find the ground. But in what state knowing that the peak of form is scheduled for the Worlds? Karim Ghezal, the touchline coach of the Blues, explained: “We will put in place all our work, whether it’s our video work or what we have been doing on the pitch for a month. We are still in development, it will not be 100% either physically or technically.
Especially since the team lined up will sorely lack collective experience. For example, the average age of the three-quarter line is only 21 years old. Even if he will not play on Saturday, the Toulon winger Gabin Villière intends that the French team implement all the work that has been done so far. “The players who are going to play are ready. The objective is to validate our weeks of work and seize opportunities. We want to put our system in place. It’s not just a test, ”warns the RCT player.
Relations have long been chaotic between Scotland fly-half Finn Russell and coach Gregor Townsend. The latter has often criticized his star player for a certain lack of professionalism. He had even dismissed him during the 2020 Tournament because of an evening that was a little too drunk. The Scottish manager said: “Finn left the camp due to a disagreement over the issue of alcohol with other players and he chose to miss training and meetings the next day. I arranged to meet him that evening. (…) Unfortunately, things did not go as well as we would have hoped…”
Capable of brilliant strokes (often against England), the former Racing 92 opener – who will join Bath in England – is known for his unmanageable side. But Scotland are now orphaned by Stuart Hogg, who announced the end of his career in early July, and Townsend opted to give the armband to Russell, 31, in September. The opening half will be keen to shine on Saturday against France, the country where he spent five years. A passage ultimately unconvincing.
Before the last World Cup in Japan, the Blues had played three warm-up matches, starting with a victory over Scotland (32-3) before losing on the return to Edinburgh (17-14) and having the Italy (49-19). Four years earlier, in 2015, the same record for Philippe Saint-André’s team, which lost in England (19-14), but won in the return against the XV de la Rose (25-20) before to beat Scotland (19-16).
Before the two previous World Cups, the XV of France had achieved a clear round, dominating Ireland twice in the summer of 2011 (19-12 and 22-26) and signing three successes in 2007 (twice against the English 15-21 and 22-9, another against the Welsh 7-34). In 2003, Bernard Laporte’s team overcame Romania (56-8) then won in one breath against England (17-16) before sinking a week later against the same team (45- 14). Premonitory before losing in the semi-finals a few weeks later…
